Florida. 339 



was your long and most delightful letter, written 

 with your left hand. It repaid me for my night's 

 ride ; it relieved my mind of anxiety and enabled 

 me to sleep like a top. Thank God for all his 

 goodness ! 



I preached to-day, (Sund'ay), and baptized Bach- 

 man Hazelius a boy of twelve, with a skin as black 

 as Corvus-Americanu?. Now I think that it will be 

 no sin, and no playing the April fool, if I write you 

 a letter. 



My health has improved greatly, my disease was 

 checked and nature worked the further cure. 



We have venison every day, and enioy the finest 

 fish that ever floated in a transparent lake. I par- 

 take of food moderately, and, at night, take a cup of 

 tea, but eat no supper. * 



The Geological structure of this country is most in- 

 teresting, but very simple it is almost a uniform 

 level. The land, like the bed on which Charleston 

 stands, has been formed from the ocean. There 

 have been upheavals throughout the whole State 

 these have produced fissures in the lime-stone rocks 

 beneath, the waters percolating through the sand, 

 are purified and become like crystal. These are 

 discharged into innumerable lakes Griffin, Orange, 

 Ware, with smaller lakes, every eight or ten miles, 

 -abounding in the finest fresh-water fish in the world. 



There are scarcely any rivers in Florida; even 

 the St. John's River is but a succession of lakes; 

 the streams, such as they are, run from South to 

 North. It is a singular country. Suddenly in a 

 single night, half an acre of ground, it is said, settles 

 down, perhaps twenty feet, and is found full of 

 crystal water, large fish, and now and then an Alli- 

 gator all carried through some underground rail- 

 road. 



One thing has struck me every day ; for twenty 



